64 parking meters decapitated in downtown St. John's days after being repaired
City assessing whether or not they'll be replaced
The heads of more than 60 parking meters were left in a heap near a Water Street storefront on Monday morning in yet another act of vandalism against the city's meters.
In a frustrating twist for the city staff, all 64 meters had just been replaced after having their heads beaten off earlier in the spring, only to be damaged once again.
The meters cost about $474 each and were supplied by J.J. MacKay Canada Ltd. — a Nova Scotian company that supplies meters for more than 1,000 municipalities.
The company has previously said it's never had issues like it does in St. John's, where the preferred tools of vandalism are baseball bats and sledgehammers.
Can't have nothing.. water st now <a href="https://twitter.com/CityofStJohns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityofStJohns</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RNC_PoliceNL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RNC_PoliceNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZfBfClataY">pic.twitter.com/ZfBfClataY</a>
—@pbsnow12Since March of 2015, nearly all of the 1,167 parking meters in the city have been damaged. The cost of replacing them was close to $1.4 million by the start of this year.
The city is now considering whether or not to bother replacing the meters after the latest round of beheadings, since a new cashless system is being implemented starting on June 11. Drivers will pay using smart phones, a 1-800 number or pay stations.
The first cashless spaces will be on Harbour Drive